Social Studies/President Sites

American Presidency
http://ap.grolier.com/
February is President's Month, and this site will help you hone your knowledge about the presidents. Choose which online encyclopedia you want to use to find biographical and historical information. There is a Presidential Gallery, a section on historical election results, and links to further resources.

American Presidency
http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/
The American Presidency is a site for understanding everything about the President of the United States. The site contains interactive activities on five subjects, including the roles of the presidency. The resource section of the site contains a complete set of presidential resources, ranging from a list of presidents to a description of the military history of the various presidents. The upper menu bar of the site contains a scrollable presidential "lineup" associated with interesting artifacts and historical developments of the presidential period. Clicking on either the president or artifact links to a descriptive resource supported by interesting graphics.

AmericanPresident.org
http://www.americanpresident.org/  
When the site opens, you are presented with 2 pathways: History or Presidency in Action. The History section includes information on the Presidents themselves; biographies of each first lady; biographies of each cabinet member; listings of presidential staff and advisers; and timelines detailing significant events in the lives of each administration. Presidency in Action features the functional side of the American presidency, outlining the responsibilities of the President and the resources at his disposal. Includes essays; a graphically rich Organization Chart; and details about the offices the President relies on and the personnel inhabiting them. Biographies of leading staffers and advisers add further depth to this portrait of the White House at work. Brought to you by the Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia.

By Popular Demand: Portraits of the Presidents and First Ladies
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/odmdhtml/preshome.html

Geek the Vote 2008
http://www.popularmechanics.com/geekthevote08
The 2008 Presidential election process has grabbed everyone's attention—even a techie type magazine like Popular Mechanics. Despite its inappropriate name, the site attempts to cover where each candidate stands (or stood, since many have already left the race) on issues of interest with a focus on science and technology. It could serve as a research tool for students preparing reports on the candidates. The site also offers related election news as well.

George and Martha Washington, Portraits from the Presidential Years
http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/gw/
George and Martha Washington sat for almost two dozen portraits in the eight years between 1789 and 1797. This site, the online version of a 1999 exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery, shows each painting. Clicking on the thumbnail brings up an enlarged image and expanded text for each.

George Washington: A National Treasure
http://www.georgewashington.si.edu/
This site from the National Portrait Gallery invites you to explore the Gilbert Stuart portrait of Washington known as the Lansdowne portrait. There is a wonderful interactive activity that allows the student to click on specific points of artistic, biographic, and symbolic significance. Each point of information gives the student a cross curricular experience in Art and U.S. History. There is also a fascinating audio explanation of the portrait's history that will be interesting to the students.

History Place: Abraham Lincoln
http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/
A timeline of Lincoln's life including photos and links to important events.

Lincoln North: The Joseph N. Nathanson Collection of Lincolniana
http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/lincoln/intro/cover1a.html
From Canada's McGill University (hence the name "Lincoln North") comes an attempt at creating a virtual exhibit offering collections of manuscripts on Lincoln, the Man; the Civil War; Slavery & Emancipation; Assassination & Death; Trial & Execution of the Assassins; and the Canadian Connections. This site is useful for older students seriously interested in Abraham Lincoln and his life.

Mount Vernon Educational Resources
http://www.mountvernon.org/index.cfm
Among other things, take a Virtual Tour of Mount Vernon.

Mr. Lincoln and Friends
http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/
From The Lincoln Institute comes another very detailed Website intended to reveal the human side of the stern-visaged Mr. Lincoln. This site showcases the various people surrounding President Lincoln, from Generals to politicians to reporters and to the females he counted as friends. In addition, there are links to segments on "Opponents and Enemies," "Humor and Personality," etc. This very thorough site does require the ability to handle a lot of written material.

National First Ladies' Library
http://www.firstladies.org/

Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century
http://www.presidentialtimeline.org/
Who was U.S. president before Truman? Who followed him? If you often have trouble recalling facts such as these, bookmark this site, which offers not only a timeline of every 20th Century president (having assumed office on January 20, 2001, President Bush is the first 21st Century president) but also has exhibits and other searchable data on each of the 12 men who led this country in the past century.

President's Day
http://fun.familyeducation.com/presidents-day/entertainment/32937.html
Learn about public affairs with the quizzes, games, and activities featured on this page. There are also links to Presidential Trivia and a Presidential Gallery.

Presidents' Day
http://score.rims.k12.ca.us/score_lessons/special_events/presidents_day/index.html
For classroom use on Presidents' Day (or any time), Schools of California Online Resources for Education (SCORE) presents a site that is dedicated to the achievements of President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln. Includes links to Presidents' Day activities and information, plus resources for each president and a list of literature relating to each.

President's Day Quiz
http://a4esl.org/q/h/tf-lb-pday.html
Take an online true/false quiz about President's Day. Click the answer button to see the correct answer.

Rendezvous with History: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/projects/fdr/  
This website includes an interactive SiteMap of the Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site which allows you to "tour the grounds" and the mansion. There are also 360 degree panoramic tours, Stories, Photographs, and a Timeline. A great resource from the Poughkeepsie Journal.

Thomas Jefferson
http://www.pbs.org/jefferson/
At this Public Broadcasting System site users may explore Jefferson's Spirit of Enlightenment thinking, follow journeys of photographers as they seek the meaning of "Pursuit of happiness," and explore Jefferson's most important and controversial writings.

U.S. Presidential Election Maps
http://fisher.lib.virginia.edu/collections/stats/elections/maps/
Check out the Presidential Election maps with this site. You can see the percentage of popular vote and electoral vote distribution and totals. View the information on popular vote on a map so you can see in which states the president was more popular. It is color coded by presidential candidate. For Electoral Vote Distribution and Totals, the information is also shown on a map and is color coded for ease of information.

White House Historical Association
http://www.whitehousehistory.org/04/04.html
The Classroom section of the White House Historical Association has a wealth of information and resources for teaching about the White House. There are links to resources for K-3, 4-8, and 9-12. Other sections include Art in the White House, Picturing the President's House, and a fun video for younger kids called For Kids: Bird Watching Expedition, among others.